The work on this project involves a number of studies in a variety of cultures. The overall objective is to explore the ways developmental environments can be described by variations in physical and social ecologies, especially in terms of parental beliefs and values, parenting programs, and how differences in these domains affect children's development. In the first study, SSED staff collected interview data about perceptions, values, expectations, responsibilities, and practices of West African parents. These data are being analyzed and will be interpreted in the context of information about variation in developmental niches. In a second study, SSED staff explored the effects of agreement between Swedish mothers and fathers regarding socialization values. Agreement between parents was less clearly associated with development outcomes in Sweden than in the USA. In the third study, SSED staff are attempting to assess specific maternal and child attributions about one another in order to identify the extent to which attributions or expectations shape the way that parents and children interact. Finally, SSED staff are exploring the validity of Strange Situation assessments of infant-mother attachment security in Japanese dyads.